Rebirth
by stormseeker123
Summary: A fallen hero, a heartbroken leader. What is to become of the two? A collaboration between myself and the amazing Mazula.
1. Chapter 1

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

This is a humanized Bionicle AU. I do not own Bionicle, and never will.

Confusion.

Shock.

Anger.

Sadness.

Despair.

As the Toa crested the hill, the sun setting behind them, casting their shadows across the plains, they looked out over the fair city of new Metru Nui. They descended the hill, only to be followed by a group of new Toa. These Toa shined in the hearts of many as a beacon of renewed hope against the forces of darkness and despair. As they followed the veteran Toa down the hill, they were met by the Turaga.

Nuju was confused as to the fact that six Matoran had left, but only five Toa had returned. Hobbling over to the new Toa of fire whom he assumed to be Jaller, he inquired of the absence of his assistant. Jaller looked over to the others, who looked distraught and down cast, nodded to him. It was then that Jaller, Toa of New Metru Nui, had to break the old Turaga's heart. He recounted a tale of bravery and sacrifice, of courage and commitment.

He recounted the tale up to Matoro's last moments, where he willingly gave his life to protect everyone he loves. Nuju's heart soared at the mention of his assistant's bravery and achievements, but when Jaller inevitably came to the end of his story, Nuju's heart went still. He started backing away. The news of his assistant's death was too much for his heart to bear. Trembling like a leaf in the summer wind, he shook his head, trying to pass off the bad news as a hallucination, a figment of a nightmare, a hallucination, anything to pass off the horrible truth as a lie.

Clutching his chest, he fell to his knees as the throes of a heart attack ravaged him. He was rushed to the infirmary where he received the best treatments medicine had to offer. The other Turaga followed, having taken the news of Matoro's death as a hard blow. They remembered the slight Matoran fondly, chuckling over his sillier moments. When they reached the infirmary, where their colleague lay sleeping, they felt a great sadness settle over their hearts as they realized they would never again see the smiling face of that sweet Matoran again…

The next day, Nuju was in a foul temper. The other Turaga, as well as the nurses and other patients couldn't get into the room without threats of flying objects. Not only was he in the infirmary due to a heart attack, he firmly believed he was the victim of an awful prank, a vicious lie. When he was pronounced fit, he tracked down the new Toa and loudly started to berate them for trying to pull such a horrible joke on him.

After he finished berating and demeaning them, he started to demand to know where Matoro was. The Turaga couldn't stand seeing Nuju like this so they pulled him gently aside and told him that Matoro was dead, that he died saving the universe from destruction. Finally getting it, he didn't cry, didn't scream. Instead, he fell silent. Once he got to his room, he locked the door and refused to see anyone.

A few days later saw Nuju in the same state of despair, only now he was looking out the window at the celebrations taking place. Scowling, he turned away and closed the blinds, leaving him in utter darkness. A year passing saw Nuju transform from a man in despair to an empty shell as he finally accepted the loss of the only person dear to his heart.

100 years passes

As Nuju made his daily rounds past the shrine where the mask of life now stands, he looks away without a change of expression, but inside, he is furious at the mask for taking his Matoro away. He is bitter towards the one thy call the great spirit for killing the only person that mattered to him in order to restore his own life.

Never mind that Matoro did it of his own free will, Nuju has slowly stopped believing in their deity as some all-powerful, all-loving person; instead, coming to see him as a selfish, egotistical person. A person who will take another's life in order to save his own, a murderer. He turned to leave, to wash his hands of the time he spent there, not noticing the strange glow coming from the mask. Not knowing that it heralded a new age, a new Great Spirit.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Dark.

Pain.

Confusion.

Fear.

It is dark and cold when he begins to stir. He begins to feel sensations again, confusing him. Heat like a blast furnace, cold like the arctic tundra, heavy weights like stone, smells of cool damp earth. The tickle of a warm summer breeze, the cool moisture of a pool of water. He is tired, so tired, and so weak. Sensations begin to fade as he sleeps again.

When he stirs again, he feels stronger, more revitalized, his thoughts are clearer than before. He begins to wonder about where he is, about WHO he is, why he is there. A sudden, searing pain brings all of his attention back to himself as he feels his corporeal body being pieced back together, slowly, painfully. It's almost as if every nerve ending is set ablaze, without the comfort of knowing when it will end. He would scream, but he realizes then that he has no voice to scream with.

And so, he silently endures the mind-numbing pain. When the pain starts to ebb, he is aware of new sensations, of how he now seems to have developed appendages. A thump in his chest frightens him and he begins to feel more afraid as he regains his heartbeat. Lungs he forgot he had start to burn from lack of air. Struggling, he tries to draw in breath, only to find there is no air to be found.

Cold like he never knew before, like ice had entered his soul, coldness as he fell. Cold and heavy, he hit the floor, Jarring himself, numbing him to all else. He lay there for a moment, dizzy and disorientated, unsure of where, who or even what he was. Confused as to why he had gone from a wisp of thought to apparent life. Regaining his senses shortly after; he cringed at the loud sharp voices piercing his senses, of the light assaulting him from all sides. As he felt rough hands lifting him from the floor, he saw images flash by.

Images of a white, cold place, of short, wise being gathered around a table, of one white being, gazing at him with piercing blue eyes, of looking in the mirror to tie back his blue-white hair, of hearing his name. But as soon as the darkness reclaimed his vision, he let those images and words slip from his mind and went gratefully to the dark blanket of sleep.

Nuju woke from his fitful sleep with a start, feeling very uneasy. Looking around, there were no intruders, no signs of life. But he felt an insistent pull in the direction of the shrine, almost as if someone was calling him. Scowling, he deliberately took his time tidying up his room and getting dressed. He figured that if the mask of life had the gall to take his Matoran, his assistant, away from him, the mask could be forced to wait a bit.

And with that, he left the house and made his way to the shrine where the mask of life was being kept. When he was about two miles off, he noticed a strange, strong glow in the distance, directly in the shrine. Re-gaining his uneasy feeling from before, only this time, it was as if someone was shouting at him from across the room.

He broke into a sprint and charged toward the gate of the shrine. When he got there, however, the torch-lights had gone out and the uneasy feeling had stopped. But, just below where the mask lay dormant, was a tall white figure. Edging closer to the wall, he picked up an unlit torch, wondering what kind of force could have made them all go out in one go.

Relighting the torch with a match he found in his pocket, he moved closer to the fallen figure. Contemplating the facedown figure, he took the man by his shoulder and flipped him to his back. He gasped in shock and dropped his torch as the serene face of Matoro was revealed to him.

Backing to the wall, he started shaking, mind revolting against itself as he tried to make sense of the scene before him. Matoro was dead, how could he be here? How was this possible? He crawled back to the figure, he felt for a pulse, and found it, strong and steady. Nuju's frail boy couldn't stand the shock, so his mind shut down and he passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

Rebirth Ch. 2

His head hurt. In fact, _everything_ seemed to hurt. His legs, his arms, his body, his damn  
head! And his bed wasn't doing much help in-

_'Wait…'_ he thought, shifting slightly under the covers.

This wasn't his bed. It was too firm, like a wooden block. And it smelled like antiseptic. And  
the sheets were paper thin and scratchy. It smelt like a doctor's office too. Odd too, this was all  
starting to sound very familiar. Where did he notice all this before…?

Oh…right…

_'Oh great, what? Did I have a stroke now?'_ Nuju thought grumpily.

He groaned and buried his face into the stiff pillow. No, that didn't sound right. He felt fine; he  
wasn't in any pain or anything, aside from a headache. And as far as he could tell, his arms were  
moving freely, so there wasn't an IV in one of his arms. And if he was feeling correctly, he was  
in his regular clothes, and not a hospital gown.

_'So then what am I doing here…?'_ he thought.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Nuju? Are you awake?"

_'Vakama…?'_ what was he doing here? And for that matter, why wasn't he getting up  
yet!?

"Ugh…" Nuju groaned as he sat up, every joint in his body seemingly grinding against each  
other, "Just a minute…!"

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Nuju put his face  
in his hands as a wave of nausea washed over him. What the heck happened? He didn't pass out  
while working again did he?

"Nuju?"

Oh for the love of…

"Ugh, come in…" he grunted, running a hand through his tussled hair. He must look a mess…

The door clicked as it swung open, and in stepped Vakama. Nuju looked up from his hunched  
position and through his thin fingers at him. He vaguely noted his vision was slightly blurred and  
wondered what they did with his glasses…

Vakama, almost hesitantly, sat down in a chair by Nuju's bedside and looked at him wearily.

"How are you feeling? You gave us quite a fright back there." He said.

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine," Nuju said, rubbing his forehead, "Although, I would like to know why  
and how I got here."

Vakama gave him a surprised look, "You…don't remember?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking now would I?" Nuju countered, "And where are my glasses?"

Vakama sighed and dug into his breast pocket, handing the aggravated ice Turaga his eye-wear.  
Well, his personality was still intact, that was a good sign. Although in reality, Vakama always  
seemed to find relief in himself when Nuju started acting like his old, icy and sarcastic self. He's  
never been the same since…_that_ day…

Now able to properly see, Nuju took note of how pale Vakama seemed to be and instantly was a  
bit concerned.

"Something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost…" he said, adjusting his glasses.

Again, Vakama fixed him with a strange look. He looked rather startled by Nuju's words. That  
or he was seeing something on Nuju that he was unaware of…

"What?" he asked with a frown.

"Nuju…" Vakama started, uncertain, "What…what do you last remember? From this morning?"

This morning…? What was he-?

_'Wait…this morning…'_ that's right…

He woke up this morning from some odd feeling, like a premonition. It was telling him to go see  
the Mask of Life. He had gotten up, and gone to the shrine.

And when he got there…

Nuju felt his heart skip a beat, his eyes widening. Long white hair, pale skin, a slender body, and  
an unmistakable face…

_'That…that's impossible…!'_ Nuju looked at his shaking hands. No, it…it had to have  
been real! He felt him! He was warm, solid, he had a damn pulse!

He, Matoro, he was…

"Vakama…?" he rasped.

"Yes?"

"Please…please tell me it wasn't a dream…"

Vakama lightly inhaled, locking his gaze onto the floor. There was no use trying to deny or  
lie to Nuju. It would be far too cruel. But he worried so much for his friend. He shouldn't  
see…him…just yet. He would be so heartbroken! If Nuju and he saw each other again, and Nuju  
found out…

Vakama sighed. He couldn't just hide it from Nuju. It would only hurt him more…

"It was not a dream," He said, "He's here in the hospital and-"

Nuju was out the door before Vakama could finish, much less stop him. Nuju didn't even register  
Vakama calling out for him, he couldn't hear anything except his own pounding heartbeat and  
his frantic breath.

_'Where is he…!?'_ he thought, his eyes frantically scanning the halls.

He could feel him. He was here, he was close! He didn't know why or how, but he just knew!  
His boy, he was _alive!_

'Matoro…Matoro…!' Nuju skidded to a half in front of a door. There!

He grabbed the handle and threw the door open, storming inside.

And for the first time in over a hundred years, Nuju felt himself smile.

There on the bed was his thought of Toa. He looked just like Nuju remembered; a small, lean  
body, long blue tinted white hair, a peaceful face, and…

Wings…?

Matoro…had wings.

Large, white, feathery wings were protruding from the sleeping Toa's back, folded carefully  
against his small form. Matoro, lying on his side, had one wing draped over his body, nearly  
encasing his small frame completely in the feathers.

Awestruck. That was the best Nuju could come up with, he was awestruck. He always said  
Matoro was an angel, but this…

_'Does it matter?'_ he thought.

"Mmm…" Nuju jumped slightly, staring wide eyed as his once sleeping Toa woke up.

Matoro shakily pushed himself up on his knees. His body was limp and shaking with tremors,  
as if he was weak or didn't have complete control of his limbs. His wings fell open limply like a  
blooming white flower, the feathers pooling around his body like a blanket.

The Toa groaned as he fully sat up, though hunched over, and rubbed his eyes. Slowly and  
blearily, he opened his eyes and, sensing the other in the room, averted them to Nuju.

Again, Nuju couldn't help but feel his heart flutter. Those eyes…

Nuju has yet to meet another with eyes like those. No one, no Matoran, Toa, or Turaga could  
ever possess those eyes. Those aquamarine gems could never be imitated. There was no doubt  
now…

Matoro was alive.

"Matoro…oh god Matoro…!" Nuju rushed over to Matoro without a second thought.

Nuju locked the smaller being in his arms. He buried his face into his hair, inhaling his familiar  
scent. He couldn't fully believe this. But here he was, alive and in his arms again. He wasn't a  
dream, he could feel him, he could smell him, feel his warmth, he could hear his little heartbeat,  
he was right here! It wasn't some twisted joke or a dream!

"Oh Spirits Matoro, I missed you so much!" Nuju rasped, "Don't you dare ever scare me like  
that again! How dare you die on me like that!? Don't you ever leave me like that again!"

Shaking, his voice tight from repressed tears, Nuju calmed himself slightly and let Matoro go, his  
hands firmly holding Matoro's shoulders. He held Matoro at arm's length and looked his Toa up  
and down.

Unsurprisingly, he was dressed in a stark white hospital gown, but to Nuju, he honestly never  
looked better. And aside from the wings, he didn't look at all much different. He was a bit taller,  
no doubt a side-effect from becoming a Toa, but he was still the same small boy he knew and  
loved. Although, the odd clusters of feathers on the sides of his head were new…

Nuju stroked a pale cheek, a few tears passing silently down his face.

"Matoro…where have you been all this time? Why didn't you come back sooner?" Nuju asked  
in honest confusion.

Matoro only gave him an almost startled, confused look. Nuju frowned at this before smiling  
lightly.

"Come now, you can tell me. I'm not mad, just shocked," Nuju said, wondering if it was his tone  
that clammed Matoro up.

Matoro looked down at his lap nervously, his eyes still portraying confusion, "I…"

Nuju sighed, mentally kicking himself, "Oh it doesn't matter, what matters is that you're home."

"Home…?"

"Yes, you're home. Though it is different than Ko-koro, but as long as you're with me, you're  
safe." Nuju said.

"…"

Nuju frowned again at Matoro's perplexed expression. Something seemed…off. Matoro hadn't  
said anything to him the whole time he came in. He was acting so…lost. As if he had no idea  
what was going on.

It was as if he didn't-

The door to the room suddenly flew open and Vakama came rushing in.

"Nuju don't! He doesn't-"

"Who are you?"

Nuju felt like a cold chunk of ice had been dropped into his heart. Locking eyes with Matoro, he  
could only stare in utter astonishment, and hurt, as Matoro looked back at him with…absolutely  
nothing except confusion.

There were no real emotions in those eyes. There was none of the familiar warmth or fondness  
Nuju had long since been used to seeing in his aquamarine orbs. There was no sense of  
familiarity, no sense of care. There was absolutely _nothing_ there for Nuju except  
confusion and weariness. And deeper in those eyes…there was a note of fear.

He was…he was actually scared of Nuju? Even if it was just small apprehension, it was still  
there, clear as day. And it hurt Nuju so, so much.

"I…" Nuju dry swallowed, unable to comprehend the situation, "I don't…u-understand…"

Vakama sighed sadly to himself. He thought this would happen, he only wished he could have  
prevented it.

"Nuju…" he started, "Please, we need to talk." He said.

"But…n-no, I don't…" Cold. He felt so cold yet numb right now. It was like he was drowning…

"Come on Nuju…" The icy Turaga barley felt Vakama place a hand on his shoulder and gently  
tug him away, "I'll explain everything, just please…"

Explain…yes. Yes, he needed an explanation. He needed to know why…

"Um…" Nuju paused from being pulled out of the room by Vakama at the meek inquiry. He  
turned and looked over at Matoro wearily.

Matoro fiddled with the blankets covering him. He actually looked…ashamed?

"I…I'm sorry…" he said shyly, not meeting Nuju's gaze, "I-I just…don't…I can't…"

Nuju felt a sudden spark of hope. Matoro was…apologizing for not remembering him? To  
someone who was maybe a stranger to him?

No, they weren't strangers. It had to be Matoro. That was just how Matoro was. If he saw  
someone hurting form his words or actions, even if they were complete strangers, he would  
apologize and try to make amends. There was no one else Nuju could think of who would do  
such a thing for someone they did not know.

He just…didn't have his memories…

"Nuju." He heard Vakama urge.

A moment passed before Nuju finally seemed to collect himself and make sense of the situation.  
It was obvious he was out for a good majority of the time, and therefore had little to no  
knowledge of what was going on. Vakama, however, seemed to know otherwise. And Matoro…

"I'm sorry too…" was all he could say as he was led back to his own room.


	4. Chapter 4

Rebirth Ch. 3

By the time Vakama had Nuju settled down and listening, he began to explain what had  
happened.

That morning, Vakama had gotten called to the hospital where Nuju was. When he had been  
called there, he had been frightened that Nuju had fallen ill again. But when he arrived, he wasn't  
taken to Nuju, but to Matoro. It was easy to say that Vakama was both shocked and elated. He  
thought Nuju was finally going to heal and be happy again, that everything would go back to the  
way things were.

But it was all just wistful thinking.

When he spoke to the Toa, he had absolutely no recollection of Vakama, or of who he even was.  
He had no idea where he was, or that he was even dead at one point. All he knew was that his  
name was Matoro, and that he was a Toa. That was it. He had absolutely no memory of anyone  
he used to know. Including Nuju…

The news broke Nuju's heart all over again.

But apparently what he saw in the shrine had been no hallucination. Somehow, no one could  
explain why or how, Matoro had been reformed and brought back to life by the mask. The  
sudden energy surge and Nuju's absence had brought guards to the temple, where they found  
them both and took them to the hospital. Which led up to Vakama being called, and to the events  
leading up to now.

Nuju sat by and listened to Vakama recount his tale. All the while, his brain seemed to be  
starting to put the pieces together and calm itself back into his normal state of mind.

But the fact still remained that they had no idea why this happened. So many questions were left  
unanswered. Why now? Why did he take so long? Why did he have wings of all things? Why did  
he have no memories?

All of this and so much more, it was overwhelming!

Yet even still, no matter how much it hurt, it didn't change that Matoro was now alive. And that  
was all that mattered to Nuju right now.

"I need to take him home." Nuju suddenly said.

"What?" Vakama asked, shocked, "Wait, what are you-?"

"I need to take Matoro home, he shouldn't need to stay in a hospital." Nuju said, getting up from  
the bed and proceeding to put his coat on and fix his tussled appearance.

"Take him-? No! Nuju, are you listening to yourself right now?" Vakama asked, following the  
other around the room as he gathered whatever other possessions of his in the room.

"Yes, I am."

"Nuju, stop, this is insane," Vakama said, "You can't just…take him to your home. We don't  
know what could-"

"What could what, Vakama?" Nuju snapped, buttoning his coat up.

Vakama sighed, "Nuju, I'm just trying to think of your wellbeing. We don't know why this  
happened. For all we know, something dangerous could happen."

"I highly doubt it."

"Nuju…" The fire Turaga started carefully, "Think for a second. We don't even know if  
he'll…you know."

"No, I don't know, now spit it out." Nuju growled, getting impatient.

"We don't…we don't know if he'll be…staying." Vakama said carefully.

The fire Turaga felt himself freeze up at the absolute death glare Nuju sent him. Wow, he hadn't  
seen that in a long time, he almost forgot how terrifying it was.

"He is _staying_, Vakama…" Nuju said slowly, deathly, "I will not lose him a second  
time."

And with that, he shoved past Vakama and out the door. Vakama sighed; honestly, when it  
concerned Matoro, Nuju was more stubborn than a Po-Matoran.

Although he couldn't help but smile at the small glimpse he got from seeing the old Nuju  
again…

Nuju knocked at the door to Matoro's room softly.

"Matoro, can I come in?" he asked.

There wasn't a response, so he knocked again. He was starting to wonder if Maybe Matoro was  
asleep again. But a sudden thud sounded behind the door, startling Nuju. He opened the door and  
stepped inside.

"Mator-" he paused at the sight.

"Ow…" Matoro muttered, trying to support himself with his arms.

The poor Toa was flopped down on the floor, his heavy wings weighing him down and his  
legs shaking as he tried to haul himself up onto his feet. The sheets were messed up and pulled  
halfway off the bed, tangling in his legs and making it only harder on the fallen boy.

"Matoro, what happened?" Nuju rushed over to his downed Toa in concern, kneeling down  
beside him to help him up.

"Door…" he heard Matoro say.

"Door…?" Nuju asked before it clicked, "You tried to answer the door?"

"Fell…" Matoro muttered, seemingly embarrassed.

"I see," Nuju said with a light smile, "Here, hang onto me."

Guiding Matoro's arms around his shoulders, Nuju lifted Matoro into his arms and back onto the  
bed. Nuju noted with surprise that his wings were not nearly as heavy as they looked, and barely  
added anything to Matoro's already light frame.

"There, better?"

Matoro only nodded, gazing up at Nuju with an unreadable expression. It was a bit unnerving all  
things considered, but Nuju was at least glad he was being looked at with something other than  
fear.

Nuju averted his eyes though, sighing.

"Listen…Matoro, I-"

"How do you know me?" Matoro asked.

Nuju gazed at his Toa sadly. He was right here in front of him, close enough to touch, and yet he  
was still so far away. His Matoro was still lost…

"I knew you a long, long time ago, and for an even longer time." Nuju explained.

"But…I don't…"

"I know. And I hold no resentment for it either." Nuju said reassuringly.

It was silent for a long moment, before Matoro looked back up at him with a weary gaze.

"How…do I know…you're not…lying?" He asked slowly, as if afraid of tripping over his own  
words.

Nuju had been expecting it, but that didn't mean he was prepared for it. It hurt so much to have  
his beloved boy doubt him, and after mourning for so long. But either way, he at least had proof.

Nuju dug into his inner coat pocket and pulled out his pocket watch, flipping it open. He handed  
it to Matoro.

"Look familiar?" he asked.

Carefully taking the silver watch, Matoro looked inside. He couldn't help but feel a sudden jolt  
of déjà vu. Inside the watch's lid was a picture of someone who looked exactly like him, all the  
way down to the hair, eyes, and build. It looked so much like him…

Matoro looked up and at the mirror across from him, then back at the photo. It was like looking  
in two mirrors, there were almost no differences, except for the wings.

"Wings…?" he inquired.

"Not even I can explain that," Nuju said, "But I always said you were an angel."

Matoro wasn't sure what an angel was. But if this person, Nuju, thought he was one, then it was  
a good thing, right?

"But how…?"

Nuju shook his head, "I do not know, and I wish I did…but either way, I really am happy I got  
you back, even if you don't remember me." Nuju said with a sad smile.

Startled, Matoro put a hand to his cheek, suddenly feeling how warm they were. What happened?  
Did he do something wrong?

Nuju chuckled and gently pulled his hand away from his cheek, "You're blushing, it's perfectly  
normal."

"Oh." Was all Matoro could seem to say.

Nuju smiled. He'd always hold a soft spot for his timid Toa's shyness. But back to the subject at  
hand…

"Matoro," he started, catching the Toa's attention from looking at the watch again, "Listen, I  
know you probably have little to no real trust in me, and I don't blame you for it…" Nuju cleared  
his throat to clear up the choking sensation in his neck.

"But I need you to please come home with me," he said, "You will be safe and more comfortable  
there, and maybe we can somehow jog your memoires again. But I don't want to force you. I  
want you to choose for yourself."

Uncertain, Matoro looked back at the pocket watch and at the photo of who was supposedly him.  
He touched a delicate finger to the framed photo. This photo…it was sized and cut precisely to  
fit in the watch's lid, complete with a round silver border frame. It must have been precious to  
Nuju…

_'He…or I…was lucky…'_ he thought.

Come home with me, he said. Home…for some reason, that word seemed familiar. Yet it was  
so foreign to him. Did he even have a home now? Where was home? Where did he even come  
from? It was all so confusing…

_'Home…'_ home…Nuju…he wanted to…go with Nuju. He wanted to go home with  
Nuju. He felt like he could trust him. He was nice, and he seemed to like Matoro.

And this picture…where had he seen this before…?

"I…"

Nuju perked up at the sound of Matoro's voice trying to form words. He waited as Matoro  
fiddled with the chain of the watch.

"I…I want to go home…with Nuju." He said with a shy smile.

Warmed at the sight, Nuju could only nod and gently embrace the Toa. Matoro hesitantly hugged  
him back, burying his face into Nuju's shoulder.

Huh, how odd. He could have sworn he smelled this scent somewhere before…


	5. Chapter 5

Rebirth Ch. 4

After being signed out and checked up one last time by doctors, Nuju and Matoro both were  
released from the hospital. Although it was agreed by both Nuju and Vakama that Matoro's  
revival be kept under wraps for a while until they could speak to the other Turaga and figure  
things out. Although it was a bit difficult to hide a winged Toa. But they somehow managed to  
get Matoro safely to Nuju's home. Though due to his lacking strength in his legs, and his not  
knowing how to walk anymore, he had to be taken to Nuju's via wheelchair.

Once they were outside, it also occurred to Nuju that it was nearly evening! Had he really been  
unconscious for that long? Well, it wasn't too surprising actually. Nuju had been having a hard  
time waking up and falling asleep for the last hundred years. The other Turaga had attributed it  
to the devastating loss of his assistant, Matoro. But now he was back, so maybe he would start  
sleeping easier.

But for now, he worried about getting Matoro settled in his home.

"Well, this is it." He said rather lamely, wheeling Matoro into the main living room of his  
spacious home.

Matoro just looked around in wide eyed astonishment. All of the colors, shapes, and sizes were  
all new to him now. His curiosity was now thoroughly piqued, Nuju noted in amusement. He  
chuckled and took the Toa to the guest room where he would be staying. Nuju was quite thankful  
he had his and the guestroom down on the first floor. He mainly used the upstairs level for his  
study and small personal library.

Opening the door to the guest room-Matoro's room, he corrected-he helped the Toa to sit up on  
his bed.

"It's not much, but we can definitely work on personal touches over time." Nuju said hopefully.

Matoro nodded with a small smile, running his hands over the plush comforter and quilt. The bed  
was so soft. It certainly was a lot different from the hospital beds.

"Hmm…" Nuju hummed, cocking his head thoughtfully, "I should probably get some other  
clothes for you too…" he said.

Matoro blinked and looked down at himself. He was still in the hospital gown, but thankfully it  
was more like an overly long t-shirt with a cut down its back for his wings. Much better than one  
of those draw-string ones. But it wasn't very comfortable, nor was it very insulated for the chilly

environment.

Matoro drew his wings closer to himself, burrowing into their feathers. They were rather warm,  
he noted. Nuju smiled slightly at this. He was reminded of a small dove trying to hide itself from  
a heavy snowfall.

_'Note to self, find clothing that can accommodate his wings…or have them modified.'_  
Nuju thought.

Geez, they were rather inconvenient. How was Matoro supposed to sleep with those things?

"Um, are you going to be able to sleep alright with those…?" Nuju asked.

Matoro fixed him with a perplexed look from behind his little cocoon of feathers. It took him a  
moment to realize what he was talking about before he understood.

"Oh…wings." He said, ruffling them a bit.

"Yes, those. Will you be-"

"Smaller."

"Wha-"

Nuju froze up and stared in awe.

Just as Matoro had uttered that word, his wings spread out to stretch over his head, nearly  
touching the ceiling. They shuddered and ruffled briefly before they suddenly started glowing,  
and then…they started shrinking.

Steadily, both wings sunk into Matoro's back until all Nuju could see were the feather tips. Then  
those vanished into his skin without a trace.

"How…how did you-?"

Apparently Matoro wasn't done yet. The glow from his now vanished wings may have subsided,  
but a new glow over his head appeared. Nuju could only watch in dumbfounded awe as a white  
ring formed over Matoro's head. He could practically feel the power reverberating off of it, and  
it was rather intimidating. This was the power of pure life after all…

And in the blink of an eye, the light subsided and vanished into gossamer particles, leaving  
behind a gold ring around the crown of Matoro's head.

_'A…a halo…?'_ he thought in shock.

The last particles vanishing, Matoro rolled his shoulders and seemed to sit up straighter. He  
shook his arms slightly before looking back up at Nuju with a beaming smile.

"Better!" he chirped.

Well that solved the clothing issue, but wow this day was getting so weird…

"How…how did you…?" Nuju couldn't even finish his sentence. Matoro shrugged.

"Don't know…but I knew…I think…?" he wondered aloud.

Nuju sighed and shook his head. No use dwelling on it, as long as Matoro was fine, he was fine  
with whatever it was his body could do. Although the wings would still take some getting used  
to.

Grrr…

Startled, Matoro jumped slightly at the odd sound reverberating from his belly. What just  
happened? What was that?

"Sounds like someone's hungry." Nuju chuckled.

Matoro just gave him a completely lost expression. Nuju couldn't help but wonder just how  
much he had lost mentally…

"Ah, it means you have to eat…" still lost, "Um…n-never mind, just make yourself at home and  
I'll make us some dinner." He said.

Matoro had no idea what a 'dinner' was, but if it was going to get rid of this weird feeling in his  
stomach, that was fine by him. But he suddenly frowned.

"Won't leave…?" he asked.

Nuju blinked at this before his words seemed to sink in. Matoro was afraid he was just going to  
leave him? How absurd!

Nuju gently brushed a loose lock of hair out of Matoro's face and cupped a cheek with a smile.

"No, I'll never leave you again Matoro. I promise you this." He said gently.

Matoro felt that familiar heat in his cheeks, but wasn't startled by it this time. He smiled back at  
Nuju and nodded, leaning into the warm hand over his cheek.

"Alright," Nuju said, standing straight again, "Just rest up for a while I make us something. And  
feel free to look around, this is your room now after all."

Once said, he left Matoro alone to do as he pleased. And once he was gone, Matoro seemed  
to note how…quiet it was now. He didn't like it that much, but the room was definitely nice.  
Especially the bed. He _really_ liked the bed.

In fact, he liked it so much, he decided he was just going to flop right onto it with a  
satisfying 'fwump'. His face buried in a plush pillow, it was hard to see the grin breaking over  
his face.

_'Fluffy…'_ he thought, burying his face deeper into the pillow.

He was suddenly very tired for some reason. Maybe it was all the excitement, all the new things,  
he didn't know. He just wanted to sleep…

A half hour or so later found Nuju carrying a tray of some stew, bread, fruit, and some tea to  
Matoro's room. He at first contemplated getting him coffee to see if it would bring back any  
memories, but seeing how later it was…

_'I don't need him jumping off the walls all night, no matter how happy I am to see him  
again.'_ He thought.

Balancing the tray in one hand, he knocked on Matoro's door with the other.

"Matoro? Dinner's ready." He called. No answer. He hoped Matoro wasn't trying to walk and  
answer the door himself again; he didn't want him to hurt himself!

"Matoro? I'm coming in now." He said, turning the knob and stepping in.

Closing the door behind him, Nuju turned towards the bed. He smiled and chuckled.

It seems Matoro had fallen asleep again. Poor thing must have exhausted himself with all the  
excitement.

Shaking his head, Nuju set the tray on the desk by the bed. He sat up on the edge of the bed  
and gently reached out to stroke Matoro's soft hair. He frowned when his hand caught onto  
something and lifted it up.

_'Oh…wow…'_ he thought.

Apparently Matoro had more than one pair of wings, he noted. On the sides of his head just  
above his ears, Matoro had smaller, more elongated wings protruding from his head.

_'Amazing. Simply amazing.'_ He thought, gently running his hand over the appendage.  
The feathers were so soft and warm, unlike any bird's feather he's ever felt.

"Uhn…!" Nuju withdrew his hand swiftly as it grazed over the joint of the wing, causing Matoro  
to moan and turn over.

_'And apparently very sensitive.'_ He thought. He made a mental note to be more careful  
touching his wings from now on.

Gently folding the small wing back against Matoro's head, Nuju stood up and brushed himself  
off. He looked back at Matoro and shook his head in bemusement. Really, he could have covered  
himself with a blanket before he went to sleep. He could catch a cold in just that hospital gown!

Carefully lifting Matoro up, he slipped the covers down from the bed before placing Matoro back  
down and spreading the quilt and comforter over his frame. Nuju sat on the edge of the bed again  
and simply gazed down at Matoro's peaceful face.

It was amazing. Just yesterday he had been thinking of how he would never get to see Matoro  
ever again, and yet, here he was now, sleeping right next to him. And alive…

Feeling a familiar heat in his eyes, Nuju removed his glasses and rubbed his tears away. No, he  
would not cry now. There was no reason to anymore! He should be happy! And he was happy…

_'If only you could see what you do to me…_' he thought with a light chuckle.

Sighing, he brushed the hair out of Matoro's face and stood up with the tray. He could always  
put it away and heat it up later.

Standing in the doorway, Nuju gave Matoro one last glance. He watched the steady rise and fall  
of his chest, signaling his breathing to Nuju.

_'Please Matoro, find your memories of us…'_ he thought to himself.

Sighing to himself, he closed the door and headed for his own room to get ready for bed himself.

Pain…

So much pain…!

It was burning, yet felt so cold. It stung yet felt like he was being hit with a blunt object. He was  
falling, yet floating. It was too much! Too much…!

_'Make it stop…!'_

These faces…who were these people he was seeing? He didn't know them, and yet…

_'Please be safe…'_

Oh it hurt so much. But he couldn't stop, if he did, people were going to be hurt.

Vanishing. Something was disappearing. What was it? His body? His heart? His memories?

_"I'll never leave you again Matoro…"_

Wait…this person…

_'I know him…'_

The pain suddenly spiked, shooting straight into his chest like a flaming arrow. He screamed,  
but no sound came out of his mouth. What was happening!? Why did it hurt so much? What was  
happening? He just wanted to get out!

_'Someone…! Anyone…!'_

Anyone, anyone would do. He just wanted to get out! He wanted to be safe, he wanted the pain  
to stop, he wanted…!

_'Nuju…!'_

"Matoro…!"

He promised he wouldn't leave…!

"Matoro!"

Why did he break his promise…!?

"MATORO!"

"AUGH!"

Nuju grunted as Matoro's arm flailed out and decked him in the eye. He saw spots for a few  
moments, but paid it no mind.

Moments ago he had been sleeping so easily for the first time in over a hundred years, when he  
suddenly woke up from the sound of Matoro's screaming. Instantly on the alert, Nuju had gotten  
up and rushed to Matoro's room, only to find him thrashing around hysterically, his wings fully  
retracted and bristling like a cat's fur.

His instinctual reaction to his distraught charge was to try and calm him and wake him up from  
the obvious nightmare he was having. But as a result of both Nuju looming over him and the  
sheer terror still clinging to Matoro's sleepy mind, Nuju wound up with a black eye. Though  
he was silently glad he wasn't wearing his glasses at the time; he didn't feel like having glass  
shoved in his eyes.

"Ah…! Matoro! Wake up, please!" he said desperately.

No response other than more thrashing and crying out. His wings were now wild and frantically  
flapping, nearly shoving Nuju off of Matoro and onto his back.

"Damn it…! Matoro! MATORO!" he yelled, shaking Matoro a bit harder.

Straining a gasp, Matoro's eyes shot open and locked onto Nuju standing above him. Both  
panting, Nuju sighed in relief and relaxed slightly.

"Thank god…Matoro, are you al-"

Matoro sobbed and lurched forward, locking his arms around Nuju's shoulders, sobbing into his  
neck and shaking. Surprised, but not willing to push him away, Nuju gently wrapped his own  
arms around Matoro's quaking body and held him close. He sat up on the bed beside Matoro and  
gently rocked him from side to side.

"Shh, it's alright Matoro, it's alright…" he crooned, running a hand through Matoro's hair.

Matoro only sobbed harder and clutched at Nuju harder, his wings shuddering with his distress.  
It near broke Nuju's heart all over again. What had he dreamed of to cause such distress? Was it  
just a normal nightmare? No, this was too intense, he thought.

"It hurts…! It hurts…!" Matoro sobbed.

"What? What hurts?" Nuju asked in immediate concern.

"You promised…! You promised…!" Matoro whimpered, burying his face further into Nuju's  
chest.

Nuju sighed sadly to himself. This nightmare was much more intense than he originally thought.  
Although, he had to wonder…did Matoro maybe dream of how he had died?

_'I couldn't possibly imagine how terrible and frightening that must be…'_ he thought. No  
one would want to dream of their own death, especially when they had already died once.

Nuju continued to hold his distraught charge through the night, never letting him go even as  
his tired body protested against him. He was not going to leave Matoro like this, distressed and  
alone. And in all honesty…it was nice being able to hold his ex-assistant like this again. It just  
felt so comforting to be able to be able to hold him again in so long. He had to wonder if he was  
a terrible person for taking pleasure out of holding his Toa under these circumstances…

Finally, after what had to be about two and a half to three hours, Matoro had finally gone limp  
in Nuju's arms and was breathing softly. Nuju lifted him up slightly and tipped his head back to  
look at his reddened face. He had fallen asleep.

Sighing in both relief and exhaustion, Nuju shook his head in exhausted bemusement. Really, he  
never made things easy…

"Poor thing…" he said softly, gently wiping the few tears still tracking down Matoro's cooling  
face.

He sighed one more time before getting up on his feet, much to his now sleeping legs' dismay.  
He carefully lay Matoro back down in bed, draping the blankets over him again. Smoothing the  
blankets down, Nuju turned to limp back to his room.

"No…" Nuju paused when he felt something tug at the sleeve of his night shirt, looking down.

Blearily, Matoro stared up at him, his eyes red from crying and his hair tussled. Nuju was  
strangely reminded of a hurt child for a small moment.

"Please stay?" Matoro rasped, his voice still hoarse from crying.

A little surprised, but in no way apprehensive, Nuju smiled and nodded. He turned back to  
Matoro and crawled into bed with him. He settled into the plush bed, but was slightly startled to  
find Matoro snuggling right up beside him. Nuju smiled faintly and gently kissed his forehead,  
curling around the frail body of his assistant-turned-Toa before falling asleep.

Neither of them had any bad dreams the rest of the night.


	6. Chapter 6

Rebirth Ch. 5

When morning finally opened the eyes of the burnt-out Turaga, it found him glaring almost  
hatefully at the sliver of sunlight peeking through the blinds. He sent a mental command to the  
sun to go away and let him sleep. The sun did not obey, much to his chagrin.

Not like it would listen to him anyways, but still…

Shifting, Nuju became aware of the slight weight pressed up against his chest. Looking down, he  
couldn't help but smile. Still locked in each other's arms, Matoro was found nestled in the sheets  
and hiding against his chest, sleeping peacefully. Wrapping his arms around the other, Nuju  
started stroking Matoro's soft hair.

He let out a heavy sigh, feeling a warm spark of hope flitting through his subconscious mind.  
Matoro seemed to be adjusting to him; he actually wanted him to stay with him all night after  
all. There was still a bit of apprehension in his eyes, but it was quickly starting to fade as they  
continued to interact. Maybe there was still hope of reforming their bonds…

Nuju looked over his shoulder and at the clock on the bedside table. It was late morning now, far  
past his usual wake up time. Not that he was complaining, he couldn't remember a time he had  
slept so well! Or at least not during his mourning.

Now he just had to wake Matoro up. This was becoming slightly familiar, he thought in  
amusement.

"Matoro, it's time to wake up." Nuju whispered gently to the still sleeping Toa.

Said Toa stirred in his sleep, but did not open his eyes. Instead he buried himself deeper into  
Nuju's arms and groaned, pulling at Nuju's shirt to cover his face. Nuju couldn't help but  
chuckle. He really hadn't changed much in terms of his sleeping habits.

"Come on Matoro, you can't sleep forever. Don't you want to eat?" Nuju encouraged, poking at  
Matoro's cheek.

Finally relenting to the annoying poking at his cheek, Matoro opened his eyes and blinked  
owlishly before giving in to the urge to yawn loudly. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he sat up  
suddenly and watched Nuju with curiosity.

Nuju sat up as well and watched Matoro's staring at him curiously. His Toa continued to stare at  
him almost contemplatively, and Nuju had to wonder if his bed-head was really that bad…

"I feel like we know each other, but I can't place where from…" Matoro suddenly said.

Nuju felt his heart pick up in speed, both in hope and a bit of hurt from his boy's lack of  
memories. But it couldn't be helped right now. But this was progress! He was having instinctual  
feelings of familiarity, though small, but still there. Now after a good night's sleep, maybe  
Matoro could remember some things.

"Matoro…how much do you remember? And please tell me as much as you can." Nuju asked,  
though slightly frightened of what he was going to say.

Matoro looked down at his lap, playing with a feather that had been tugged loose from his still  
retracted wings. He made a mental note to remind himself to remember to withdraw his wings  
before bed…

"Well, to be…blunt…I can't remember much of…past a point…everything is like a gray  
fog…but I do remember…pain, pure agony…it hurt like… I can't desc-…it was mind numbing,  
but…" Matoro paused to collect his thoughts, "Also relief…people I think I care about were  
safe. And it all started with the…I forgot the name of it, but it was a mask, I think…? It was as  
if it was sucking all the life out of me. It was…scary to know that I was going to die…then I  
remember a very long period of nothingness…then waking up here." Matoro concluded with a  
bit of uncertainty as he drew his knees up to his chest, nearly curling into a ball.

It finally seemed to occur to Nuju right then as he listened to Matoro. He didn't notice it before  
since Matoro was barely talking, but now, he noticed something very disturbing about his Toa's  
speech patterns. Not only the fact that he could not remember his past, but his vocabulary had  
dropped back to the level of the child. Which lead Turaga Nuju to assume that many other vital  
skills may have been lost when his Toa had died.

It was no wonder he had so much trouble walking before, he thought. He not only was fairly  
weak and unaccustomed to his body after so long, but he probably wasn't sure _how_ to  
walk. The wings were probably no help, but still, this was a _huge_ amount of information  
to take in. And first thing in the morning no less!

"Umm… hello?" Nuju blinked and shook his head as a small, pale hand was waved in front of  
his face.

"U-um, sorry, what now?" He asked. Matoro blinked at him.

"You kinda spaced out for a moment…are you okay?" Matoro asked, head tilted ever so slightly  
to the side.

If it wasn't for how drastic the situation was, Nuju would have mentally commented on how cute  
Matoro looked like that. Shaking his head slightly, he answered with a nervous smile.

"It's nothing, just thinking. Let's get ready for the day shall we?" Nuju held a hand out to the  
slightly confused Toa.

As Matoro took Nuju's hand, he let out a startled yelp as he was pulled to his feet. At the startled  
yelp, Nuju quickly swooped in and caught Matoro before his legs completely gave out and  
crashed to the floor. He mentally cursed himself for being so careless and forgetting Matoro  
would need help walking. The Toa clung onto his shoulders tightly as Nuju carefully guided him  
to standing on his own feet. He could thankfully at least stand with only minimum support.

Nuju also seemed to realize that he would have to re-teach Matoro so many things before he was  
truly ready to meet the villagers again. Not to mention being reacquainted with his brothers and  
sister, and the rest of the Turaga. He could only imagine how well _that_ was going to go.

"Why don't you ah, withdraw your wings to make it a bit easier?" he suggested.

Matoro blinked before he seemed to remember that he did, in fact, still have his wings out and  
draped limply against his back. He quickly drew them back into his body, a familiar halo making  
itself known on his head in their place. Nuju made a mental note to ask Matoro later just how he  
knew how to do all of this.

But first, he needed a bath, and to get out of that hospital gown. He still had some of Matoro's  
old clothes in storage, so that solved one problem. Actually it solved two problems since he  
could bring his wings in and out at any given command. So no alterations needed, thankfully.

Though at the moment, that seemed to be no help in Matoro not knowing how a 'bath' worked.

As slightly embarrassing as it was, Nuju would not be put out. He guided Matoro through the  
steps of how to clean himself up and how to work the faucet. Turning on the warm water, Nuju  
filled the bath up for his assistant and gave him a bit of privacy. _After_ he had to help  
Matoro take off the hospital gown. That was quite awkward. Though as far as he knew, Nuju has  
only ever seen Matoro naked twice; once being an accident on his part, and the other…well, he  
saw Matoro with his shirt off. So once then…

Well, at least this time it wasn't a completely painful experience. If Nuju recalled correctly, the  
first time he saw Matoro completely dressed down, the then-Matoran had lashed out in sheer  
embarrassment and clocked him in the jaw. Matoro didn't show that much remorse at the time,  
but he did apologize for making Nuju bite his tongue during the punch. After giving him a verbal  
lesson in knocking.

_'Little brat…'_ Nuju thought fondly as he went to his own room to take his own bath. He  
wondered how long it would take before he could lovingly call Matoro a brat again…

After they got cleaned up, Nuju had to re-teach Matoro how to dress himself. After a few  
embarrassing complications, Matoro got everything on the right way. Although much to  
Nuju's shock, the clothes, despite once being Matoro's, were just the slightest bit loose on him.  
Unbelievable, Nuju thought. Matoro had actually gotten thinner than he already was. It was  
_baffling!_

'Definitely need to make a big breakfast for him.' Nuju thought.

But the morning routine wasn't done just yet. Just one more thing left to go. Nuju guided Matoro  
to the nearest chair and grabbed a hair brush. At first confused, Nuju had to go into a brief  
explanation about proper hair care. And with Matoro's hair being quite long, it needed a bit more  
attention than someone with shorter hair. Nuju would be unashamed to admit that this was also  
partly an excuse to play with his Toa's hair.

As Nuju ran the brush through Matoro's hair, he couldn't help but recall several instances when  
he did this exact same thing to him. And as he brushed, he remembered. And as he remembered,  
he cried for his dear Matoran.

To be continued…


End file.
